Maorineta sulawesi Tanasevitch, 2012

Tanasevitch, Andrei V. & Stenchly, Kathrin, 2012, On linyphiid spiders from Sulawesi, Indonesia (Arachnida, Araneae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 119 (2), pp. 169-180 : 174-175

Maorineta sulawesi Tanasevitch sp. n. Figs 7-16

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name, a noun in apposition, is taken from the name of the Indonesian Island where the new species was found.

HOLOTYPE: 1 Ƌ; INDONESIA, Sulawesi, Kulawi Valley, Watukilo (1°36.029’S, 120°2.062’E), 475 m a.s.l., cacao plantation, pitfall trap; VII.2007.

PARATYPES: 1 Ƌ; INDONESIA, Sulawesi, Kulawi Valley, Oo-Marena (1°32.49’S, 120° 1.045’E), 575 m a.s.l., cacao plantation, pitfall trap; VI.2007 . – 7 Ƌ, 3 ♀; Kulawi Valley , Marena (1°33.132’S, 120°1.212’E), 585 m a.s.l., cacao plantation, pitfall trap; VIII-X.2007 & III.2008 . – 4 Ƌ, 1 ♀ ( ZMMU); Kulawi Valley, Wangka (1°36.458’S, 120°1.304’E), 500 m a.s.l., cacao plantation, pitfall trap; III.2008 . – 2 Ƌ; Kulawi Valley, Toro (1°30.049’S, 120°1.723’E), 925 m a.s.l., cacao plantation, pitfall trap; VII.2007 . – 1 Ƌ; Kulawi Valley, Sungku (1°31.167’S, 120°0.654’E), 650 m a.s.l., cacao plantation, litter, pitfall trap; VII.2007 . – 1 Ƌ; Kulawi Valley, Bolapapu (1°26.105’S, 119°59.552’E), 650 m a.s.l., cacao plantation, pitfall trap; VI.2007 . – 1 ♀; Kulawi Valley, Pilimakujawa (1°38.998’S, 120°2.842’E), 400 m a.s.l., cacao plantation, pitfall trap; VI.2007 .

DIAGNOSIS: The new species is characterized by the peculiar shape of the palpal tibia which carries a conical, darkened outgrowth dorsally, by the complicated structure of the distal part of the lamella characteristica in males, as well as by the shape of the proscape in females.

DESCRIPTION: Male (paratype from Marena). Total length 1.40 (1.35-1.55). Carapace 0.58 long, 0.48 wide, pale yellow, unmodified. Eyes normal, not enlarged. Sternum grey. Chelicerae 0.28 long, stridulatory area small, furrows fine. Legs pale yellow. Leg I 2.35 long (0.63+0.18+0.58+0.53+0.43), IV 2.19 long (0.58+0.18 +0.58+0.50+0.35). Chaetotaxy: Femora and metatarsi spineless, tibiae with only two weak dorsal spines each; length of spines about 1.5-2 diameter of segment. TmI 0.20 (0.20-0.26). Metatarsus IV without trichobothrium. Palp (Figs 7-13): patella without special setae. Tibia with a large, conical, pointed, slightly curved, darkened outgrowth dorsally. Paracymbium toothless, its anterior and apical pockets merged into a single shallow pocket. Lamella characteristica long and narrow, with a pointed, curved, ventral branch distally; apically with a long straight tooth and several black teeth of different sizes. Embolus relatively large, thumb and carina present, both well developed. Abdomen 0.75 long, 0.50 wide, ventrally grey, dorsally pale, almost white, with a grey tip.

Female (paratype from Marena). Total length 1.45 (1.34-1.48). Carapace 0.63 long, 0.43 wide. Chelicerae 0.25 long. Leg I 1.93 long (0.50+0.15+0.48+0.45+0.35), IV 1.85 long (0.50+0.15+0.50+0.40+0.30). TmI 0.26 (0.22-0.26). Abdomen 0.75 long, 0.58 wide. Epigyne dark brown (Figs 14-16): proscape rounded, with a short narrow base; distal part of scape, lateral lobes and stretcher strongly reduced; posterior median plate absent. Body and leg coloration, and chaetotaxy as in male.

TAXONOMIC REMARKS: At present, the genus Maorineta Millidge, 1988 comprises seven New Zealand species ( Millidge, 1988) and one Pacific species which occurs in the Caroline, Marshall and Cook Islands ( Beatty et al., 1991). The new species is clearly distinguished from all known congeners by the complicated shape of the distal part of the lamella characteristica, which in the other species is of one piece. The female is clearly distinguished by the shield-shaped proscape with a short narrow base.

DISTRIBUTION: Currently known from Kulawi Valley, Sulawesi only.

FIGS 7-13

Maorineta sulawesi sp. n., Ƌ paratype from Wangka. (7) Left palp, retrolateral view. (8, 9) Palpal tibia, lateral and dorsal view, respectively. (10) Paracymbium. (11) Embolic division, not to scale. (12) Lamella characteristica. (13) Distal part of lamella characteristica.